Citation

Fairweather DB, Patat A, Rosenzweig P, Curson VH, Dunmore C, Dubruc C, Hindmarch I. Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 1995; 40(2): 119-125.

Affiliation

Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit, University of Surrey, Milford Hospital, Godalming, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8562293

PMCID

PMC1365170

Abstract

1. The effects of a range of doses of litoxetine (twice daily for 4 days), a novel specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, were evaluated in young and middle aged volunteers. 2. Psychometric testing was carried out at various time points on days 1 and 4 of each treatment period. The test battery consisted of critical flicker fusion (CFF), choice reaction time (CRT), compensatory tracking (CTT), Stroop and Sternberg memory scanning tests. Subjective feelings of sleep and sedation were measured by the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire (LSEQ) and line analogue rating scales (LARS). 3. Pharmacokinetic profiles were determined from analyses of blood samples taken after the final dose on day 5. 4. Overall, there were few changes in any of the psychometric tests and although the higher doses of litoxetine improved CFF, these effects were weak in that differences could only be detected when the results were pooled against time. 5. The pharmacokinetic profile of litoxetine was very similar in both the young and middle aged subjects, and there was no difference regarding tolerability. 6. There is little evidence from this study to suggest that litoxetine has any intrinsic sedative activity which is likely to interfere with the performance of activities of everyday life.

Language: en